Transport Suez Canal extension to be operational in first quarter By Neil Halligan January 22, 2025, 3:33 PM Suez Canal Authority Authorities said the canal’s extension, at the southern end and close to Little Bitter Lake, was successfully tested without incident 10km expansion test a success New maps required Capacity for up to 8 extra ships The Suez Canal expansion, which will extend the waterway’s two-way section by 10km, is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2025, the authority’s chairman has said. Egypt announced on Saturday that the new stretch, near the canal’s southern end and close to Little Bitter Lake, was successfully tested without incident. Osama Rabie, chairman of the canal authority, said the operation of the new section would begin once the Egyptian navy issues new navigational maps. The expansion comes after the grounding of the container ship Ever Given in 2021 which blocked the vital trade link for six days. Following that incident Egypt accelerated plans to widen the current channel and extend the second channel in the southern part of the canal. The Suez Canal Authority said the latest expansion will extend the canal’s two-way section from 72km to 82km. The canal is 193km long in total. It will also increase the canal’s capacity by “an additional six to eight ships daily and enhance its ability to handle potential emergencies,” the Suez Canal Authority said in a statement. Egypt plans extension to make Suez Canal a ‘dual carriageway’ Suez Canal revenue drops $7bn amid Red Sea instability Gulf logistics has much to be optimistic about in the year ahead The canal’s revenues have been severely impacted by Houthi attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea, which they said was in response to the conflict in Gaza. As a result, shipping companies have rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope and the tip of Africa, adding an extra 3,000 nautical miles and 10 days to the journey. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said in December that revenues fell more than 60 percent last year compared to the previous year, which cost the country about $7 billion in revenues. The Suez Canal provides around 10 percent of Egypt’s current account income, the consultancy firm BMI estimates.